South Australia
Driving in South Australia on an overseas licence
What SA.GOV.AU says to carry, who it lists as able to translate, and what we deliver.
Published 5 September 2026 · Updated 21 September 2026 · Official Translation
Driving in South Australia on an overseas licence?
Answer a few quick questions and get your answer in 1 second.
The rule itself
What SA.GOV.AU says a visiting driver carries
Translation or IDP
SA lists what a visitor needs as “a current licence with an English translation if necessary or an international driver’s licence”. One or the other; the licence itself comes first.
Source: SA.GOV.AU, driving with your overseas licence in SA (last updated 3 March 2026)
Carry everything, every time
“You must carry your licence documents at all times when driving, and produce these and your passport to police on request.” A translation left at the hotel does not help at the roadside; what to show if you are pulled over, in each state’s words.
Source: SA.GOV.AU, driving with your overseas licence in SA (last updated 3 March 2026)
If you hold an IDP
“An IDP is valid for 12 months, and you must also carry your driver’s licence from your home country.”
Source: SA.GOV.AU, driving with your overseas licence in SA (last updated 3 March 2026)
What each state fines, on the spot and in court, when a licence that is not in English has no translation with it: driving without a licence translation: the fine in each state.
Who may translate it
The four sources SA lists, and the original-document rule
SA.GOV.AU lists four sources for a translation it will accept: one “translated by a National Accreditation Authority for Translators & Interpreters Ltd (NAATI) approved translator”, which must be either “stamped and signed by the translator” or carry “a NAATI digital stamp (QR code)”; one “from a consulate office in Australia, signed by a consulate officer, and on official consulate letterhead”; one from the South Australian Government Interpreting and Translating Centre or an interstate equivalent; or one from the federal free translating service “on the appropriate template”. The same list also asks for “an original document (photocopies, faxes and certified copies are not acceptable)”. Carry the licence card itself as well; a translation never replaces it.
What that means for a digital order
The SA page describes a translation carrying a NAATI digital stamp or QR code. The NAATI certification option takes that form: prepared by a NAATI-certified translator, delivered by email, with a digital stamp and scannable QR code. The page does not say how it treats a printout of a digitally stamped translation, so if that matters to you, ask Service SA before you order.
What it does not mean
South Australia has not approved our business and keeps no list of companies we could be on. The NAATI wording describes the translator, not us. We point you to the NAATI option only because it matches what the page describes.
If you qualify for the government’s free translating service, use it — check eligibility before you pay anyone.
The IDP alternative
Translation or IDP: which one fits your trip
Still at home? An IDP is worth getting
An International Driving Permit is issued in your home country before you depart, by the motoring association or authority of the country that licensed you. It is one of the two things SA names.
Source: Australian Automobile Association, International Driving Permits (checked 18 September 2026)
Already in Australia? The translation is what SA names
You cannot obtain an IDP in Australia for a foreign licence. Once you have arrived, an English translation carried with the original licence is the alternative SA.GOV.AU itself names.
Source: Australian Automobile Association, International Driving Permits
Rental desks add their own terms. See what each rental company and state actually asks for before you book.
What we deliver
Both sides of the card, in full
Every field
Name, date of birth, licence number, categories or classes, issue and expiry dates, and the issuing authority.
Every condition and code
Conditions and restrictions, plus every stamp or code on either side, rendered rather than summarised.
The NAATI option
Prepared by a NAATI-certified translator, with a digital stamp and scannable QR code. Delivered by email; the order page shows the speeds on offer, including delivery within 4 hours where available. We do not deliver on Sundays: a delivery that would fall on a Sunday arrives on the Monday.
For South Australia, choose NAATI certification — it is the form the SA page describes. For how other states word their rules, see driver’s licence translation — what each state asks for.
Pricing
The full price on screen before you order
Translation is $39.99 per page into English, delivered digitally. Add NAATI certification for $59.99 per page, prepared by a NAATI-certified translator with a digital stamp carrying a scannable QR code.